I fell into writing about health shortly after grad school, where I realized I didn't want to work in a lab for the rest of my life! My areas of interest are the brain and behavior, as well as what influences the decisions we make about our health, and how the media helps and hinders people's understanding of health issues. As an undergraduate, I studied English Literature and Biopsychology at Vassar College, and got my PhD in Biopsychology and Behavioral Neuroscience at CUNY's Graduate Center in New York City, where I grew up and live now. My day job is as Associate Editor with the health website, TheDoctorWillSeeYouNow.com. My work has appeared in several other publications, including TheAtlantic.com and YogaGlo.com, and I'm particularly excited to join the Forbes health team. Email me at alicegwalton [at] gmail [dot] com .

'Obese Kid Running' Nike Ad Is Genius: Why The Critics Have It Wrong

The Nike ad that launched during the Olympics, featuring an obese boy running down a dirt road, gave me goose-bumps. (See the full ad at the bottom of this post.) Maybe I’m a sucker for those ads that try to knock you in the gut with modest cinematography and a British voiceover (or perhaps it’s because I spent a good portion of my younger life overweight), but I found it incredibly powerful. I can’t imagine it didn’t get a few people off the couch and onto the road, or at least into a less grueling form of exercise than distance running.

But the critics and the experts don’t seem to like it very much. David Katz, editor-in-chief of the journal Childhood Obesity, and whom I typically think is spot on in his responses to public health concerns and media trends (evidenced by the number of times I’ve quoted him in my own articles), wrote a disparaging critique of the ad.

He argues that the ad is poorly conceived since it pairs athleticism with greatness, which, for anyone, but particularly for an obese person, is a no-no. “The boy in the ad, Nathan, made running look every bit as wretched as David Rudisha and Mo Farah made it look inspiring. If we pretend we saw greatness, or even the potential for it, in this ad, we may be buying into Nike’s version of the Emperor’s New Clothes.” On Nathan’s behalf, not to mention my own, I’m a little offended.

But he continues his argument with flawed logic: “Why show that obesity is NOT a barrier to greatness, by picking a form of greatness to which obesity is clearly and objectively a barrier?” That’s the whole point of the ad, Dr. Katz: The fact that this person is overcoming the barrier (obesity) by doing something physical is precisely what makes him great. Although the ad begins in medias res, we can guess that the child is running because he’s made some sort of personal decision to get in shape and engage in what is obviously a not-always-pleasant endeavor – physical activity.

If the ad had featured him doing anything else besides the one to which his obesity is an obvious barrier, it would have not only made no sense, it would actually have been offensive. But Katz argues that “The ad could have shown a boy we were inclined to judge based on his appearance sitting down at a piano bench — and stunning us with his virtuosity.” Wrong. If the ad pictured an obese child wowing us with his musical virtuosity with the underlying message “anyone can be great,” the ad would have been deeply distasteful, since obesity is not typically a barrier to musical or any other type of intellectual achievement.

Running or doing another form of exercise is the only thing that could possibly have made sense and gotten the point across. Sure, it may be medically unwise to do a long-distance run if you’re obese, but the message is obvious. The ad isn’t about pairing greatness with athleticism or even about challenging stereotypes, as others have suggested. It’s about the fact that greatness is not about making it to the Olympics or breaking records. To me, and I’m betting for the creators of the ad and most of the general public, the message is that greatness is about making personal changes and battling one’s own demons – that greatness can be present in the unlikeliest of places. Maybe we should ask the actor what he thinks the point was.

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You hit the nail on the head with this article. As someone who has studied and worked in marketing for quite some time now, I found that commerical to be a master peice. It was simple, to the point, and most importantly it was impactful on a personal level. Anyone short of an Olympic medal had to have been inspired by this advertisment.

Your last paragraph, “The ad isn’t about pairing greatness with athleticism or even about challenging stereotypes, as others have suggested. It’s about the fact that greatness is not about making it to the Olympics or breaking records. To me, and I’m betting for the creators of the ad and most of the general public, the message is that greatness is about making personal changes and battling one’s own demons – that greatness can be present in the unlikeliest of places, and perhaps those not always obvious at first glance.” Could not have been said any better.

Alice, I think you did a great job of explaining why the spot isn’t offensive. I thought that it was inspiring and very relevant. Millions of people who were sitting at home watching ‘greatness’ happen at the Olympics were given the message “these people that you are watching don’t hold the exclusive rights to greatness. you can be great, too, in your own way, wherever you are.” I thought it was absolutely touching.

I also wrote about this spot here: http://redgals.wordpress.com/2012/08/07/nike-shows-greatness-in-all-forms/

And I did an overview of Nike’s entire campaign here: http://redgals.wordpress.com/2012/08/15/six-reasons-nike-is-golden/

Thank you Alice for bringing the conversation back down to earth. I have worked in the athletic industry (not for Nike) for over 20 years, and I think the Nike Ad was phenomenal. Nathan is an example to us all that just because our challenges in life can be just that “challenging”, it does not mean that we should not at least try to mitigate them. The Olympics is a wonderful opportunity for the whole world to celebrate what is physically possible for humanity, but we should never forget the “greatness” that is possible for each of us if we are at least willing to try. I found Nathan inspiring. You go, Boy!

I think the critics are seeing something they believe to be a permanent state rather than an individual in the process of transforming himself. That’s, of course, what greatness is. Having the courage and the stamina to do something other people think your present material state should prevent you from doing. Greatness is in the spirit which sometimes makes us move our stubborn flesh in the direction of health and well-being. Bravo for this ad.

Shaming and stigmatizing fat people will do nothing to positively affect the health of the populace. Three 2011 studies confirm these facts.

The study Obesity in the News: Do Photographic Images of Obese Persons Influence Antifat Attitudes? indicated that participants who viewed the negative photographs expressed more negative attitudes toward obese people than did those who viewed the positive photographs. Implications of these findings for the media are discussed, with emphasis on increasing awareness of weight bias in health communication and journalistic news reporting.

The study The Stigmas of Obesity: Does Perceived Weight Discrimination Affect Identity and Physical Health? reveals that perceived weight discrimination is found to be harmful, increasing the health risks of obesity associated with functional disability and, to a lesser degree, self-rated health.

There is an evidence-based compassionate alternative to conventional dieting: Health At Every Size®. For more information on Health At Every Size, you can find in-depth research-based information in the book Health At Every Size – The Surprising Truth About Your Weight by Dr. Linda Bacon (http://www.lindabacon.org/HAESbook/).

I would also like to recommend the free NAAFA Child Advocacy ToolkitSM (CATK) and other written guidelines/resources. The NAAFA Child Advocacy Toolkit shows how Health At Every Size® takes the focus off weight and directs it to healthful eating and enjoyable movement. It addresses the bullying, building positive self-image and eliminating stigmatization of large children. Additionally, the CATK lists resources available to parents and educators or caregivers for educational materials, curriculum and programming that is beneficial for all children. It can be found at: http://issuu.com/naafa/docs/naafa_childadvocacy2011combined_v04?viewMode=magazine&mode=embed

Great article. I too always enjoy and respect Dr. Katz’s opinion. However, this time he did get it wrong.

The first time I saw that ad I could relate to it. Not because I am overweight. I am not. However, I run very slow … so, the reality is: Anyone can and should lace up their sneaks and go for a run. No need to be Usain Bolt … just be yourself.

I consider this one of the most amazing and inspirational ads I have ever seen!

People are often put in figurative boxes based on their physical appearance: gender, race and is this case weight and with that comes limitations…mostly from others. If someone has been made aware of these limitations through messages about what they should and shouldn’t be doing because of their physical characteristics they start to buy into it. Do we ever expect to see an obese person running in a marathon? Or how many times are we surprised when we see a woman participating in an activity that has traditionally been reserved for men?!

A person who has had limitations placed on them and who make a conscious decision to defy those limitations is certainly, in my opinion, displaying greatness! For the decision IS the greatness: a black person in the segregated south walking into a cafe and sitting at a lunch counter when it was forbidden or a woman playing a sport or getting into a career that has been traditionally made up of men. An obese child who is fed up of being obese and decided to go to the extreme to get in better shape regardless of what others think of them! That is greatness and this ad depicts it perfectly! No matter what your barrier or limitation is find the greatness within yourself to defy it!